Christmas Week

 A week it has been as we celebrated the birth of Christ and spread the gospel to those in need. We have had the amazing opportunity to serve this past week almost every day. Service for me is the greatest way to show love because at times it can be hard to know what to say and especially difficult to relate to someone's emotions on the level that they need. Therefore though service I can shut up and move some couches for someone and show them this kind of love. But honestly I have seen growth in myself as I use words and speak to people the words of the gospel that they need to hear. For example last Tuesday we helped some people we met through wonderful Facebook Marketplace move some furniture and clean their entire house. I loved scrubbing walls for a couple hours and wiping a refrigerator down from top to bottom. They were very appreciative and "accepted" a Book of Mormon that we left on the hood of their car. 

Christmas time has caused for families to gather and feel the peace and joy that Christ offers. We came into the week very excited to be involved with everyone but were too soon notified by the mission office that because Tennessee is the WORST IN THE WORLD for corona cases we would not be seeing any members. Apparently TN is the epicenter but check me on that, and even though I'm down in Georgia we got shut down too, the week of Christmas. It wouldn't be 2020 if this didn't happen so I don't what else I was expecting. 

Still we went caroling Wednesday night and I'm upset that I didn't bring a coat because it was freezing. So cold in fact that in snowed the next day on Christmas Eve, how iconic. We had an awesome district counsel that morning and played a couple games. As well I was able to give a training about our divine potential as sons and daughters of God and I know that I talk about this topic a lot but it truly is important to understand and apply. 

Christmas morning after opening some gifts we headed to a local soup kitchen to help serve up hundreds of meals and loads of pies for those in need. What another great opportunity it was. 

A few great lessons to point out this past week would be with Vanessa where we were able to explain the Gospel of Christ and commit to baptism for the 16th. She more recently has come down with a sickness and we are waiting for results. Sometimes I wish Satan could just back off for a day, but where would be the growth in that. We had a wonderful discussion about personal prayer with Jose and Reynalda and another lesson yesterday with just Jose. Reynalda is not looking to progress too much but Jose expressed his desires to sincerely change and continue forward. I still can't believe the blessing it has been to teach him and see his and others progression, especially all while in the Spanish language in the southern states. I am thankful for those who taught me and helped. Anyways Jose is great and I'll update you more. 

Christmas week was fun and still have a ton of candy to eat so we're finishing 2020 on a super healthy note, oops. Take care everyone and remember your true potential, then do more. Byee

Navidad Week

 Quick week leading up to Christmas and it was a blast! We went on exchanges with the ZLs and Elder Tautu and I had the opportunity to talk about the Book of Mormon with a few people as that was our Zone goal for the past week. It has amazed me how many feelings coming from those who are experiencing this book for the first time have to do with simplicity and calmness. This book is "easier to understand" and "helps me to feel Christ's love." A personally focused on sharing personal experiences with the good book to those I spoke with so that they might see what it affect it truly has on people. Simply testify and people will listen and take it to heart. 

We had a great lesson with a young woman named Vanessa and we toured the church building afterwards. She loved it and had a great time yesterday at church along with her dad who is Jose, a man we've been teaching for a while. Marketplace finding is going great as always and we got our hands on a treadmill a couple days ago for free. The people are some nice folks and we plan on seeing them tomorrow. 

Zone conference was Thursday and we listened to some great musical numbers as well as performed some funny skits. Our group was assigned the story '2000 Stripling Warriors practice social distancing'. I was a Lamanite and died because I wasn't wearing a mask during the war, yeah it was a blast. Over the weekend we helped out at the Torres home moving furniture, tearing out flooring and prepping for some new hardwood. We had an amazing lunch with Nelly and Gonzalo Sunday afternoon which included some authentic Uruguayan bbq and some homemade cheesecake thanks to my chef of a companion. 

Always a fun time in the mission and especially looking forward to this Christmas week and sharing the story of Christ's birth. It's important because we can become better every day through him. Don't settle with where your at, grow some more and do so through the Savior Jesus Christ. Bye

La Luz del Mundo

 Had some progressive lessons this week with a few of our investigators and I'm excited to see what comes of their efforts. A lesson with our friend Victoriano went well as we were able to explain the restoration of the gospel and extend a Book of Mormon. He is originally from the state of Chiapas in Mexico and speaks a dialect called Tzotzil. Of course Gospel Library has a translation available and he very excited to begin reading. He additionally invited us down the street to a sushi restaurant where he works and I ate real sushi for the first time. A lot different than the chicken nuggets I'm used to so it was quite the experience. That night we were able to see some people who we dropped a couple weeks ago. They gave us a Christmas tree for our apartment and have really missed our conversations we used to have. 

We held some great lessons throughout the week and things have turned around as far as I could tell. They came to church and are going to be amazing members one day because I am confident they will commit to baptism one day. Thursday morning we had the opportunity to help a lady move. She is being taught by the English sisters in the district and was a very kind lady. While we were moving we may have hid some cigarettes that were on her counter, we do it with the best intentions. It was also my companion's birthday and he wanted more sushi so back we went for an endless sushi deal and I'm still feeling it. The Light the World activities have been fun and we have seen a change up in attitude within the district. 

Church was a blast as four of our investigators were able to attend. Jose and Reynalda have some things to work on and they were able to meet with Bishop. Additionally we met his daughter who is interested and we will meet with some more this week. Bishop was kind to have us over at his house again today to fish in his pond and play some billiards. 

All-in-all a great week with some stressful but fun things thrown in there. Elder and Sister Kearon of the Seventy shared some more thoughts with us as a mission, one being a talk from Richard G. Scott 1995 about trusting the Lord: "Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." Take care bye.

Every Child of God is Needed

First week of the new transfer went well. It has begun to snow a couple times, none of it is sticking but we're definitely in the winter months. Last year at this time I was in the middle of a Peruvian summer drinking hot coco and yeah it didn't make any sense, miss those friends I made. I am blessed to have this opportunity of experiencing different kinds of Christmas and am excited for what is to come. 

We have been focusing on members this past week and plan on maintaining this momentum through the coming weeks. One less active in particular has not been to church in many years and was questioning the existence of God. We were able to explain some principles and ask some thought-provoking questions. I pray for the spirit to touch him and be with us as we visit him again this week. Our friend José is on date for baptism and we have been working to figure out details for the difficult situation he is in. What stands out is the desire he has to change and follow the commandments of God, he just has an obstacle to get over just like we all do in our own lives. 

At district council we were able to discuss ideas on the next step for him as well as others working towards baptism. I was able to set some goals for the district with a focus on members as I already mentioned before and we plan on being more unified this transfer. I shared 1 Corinthians chapter 12 which talks about the body of Christ and the importance of each member. We all have spiritual gifts and every one is vital to the operation. 

Yesterday we had the opportunity to hear from Elder and Sister Kearon of the Seventy as they are touring our mission this coming week. Sister Kearon shared her thoughts regarding competition and comparison. "Someone else's gifts are not a threat to you... When you feel an unhealthy sense of competition, ask yourself, what is your motivation?" She included 1 Corinthians 12 as well and stressed the importance of understanding our own importance in this work. Her husband, with a classic British accent, shared some additional ideas about our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. "How do you think the Lord is feeling about coming back? He can't wait until He comes back. If you are being hard on yourself, just stop it!" No matter what your starting disposition may be you can always add and learn more attributes of and through Christ.

This week I am going to become and be the message that I teach. Learn to choose your reactions when hard things happen; as we learn in Alma 62:41, will you harden or soften your heart? We truly do thrive on opposition so attack this week with that in mind. Anyways Georgia is great and the people are greater, hope everyone's doing well. Cuidanse!!

Dia de Gracias

 Week of Thanksgiving was a blast as expected. I ate so much food I'm still full. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was happy and exciting. We had a full week of work and a lit of progression has taken place by what I can see. Our friend Jose has been working towards his baptismal date and it has been a blast helping him. He is determined to follow God's commandments and he truly loves the Lord, inspiring to me. He attended church again yesterday as well and he loved it, especially meeting more and more members who are so vital in someone's conversion. Additionally, another friend Austin came to church but he doesn't speak Spanish so we went to the English session with him. My comp and I were asked to help bless the sacrament which I haven't had the opportunity to do in awhile so I was grateful for that. He really seemed to enjoy it but I was said when he invited us to then attend his church but we were busy with the Spanish session instead. 

We did lots of contacting this week and explored some cool areas. Thankfully we have a lot people who have been contacted in the past so we're able to go see them and reestablish communication. I am still amazed to see people's beliefs and standpoints as fair as religion goes. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings simplicity to my mind at least and that's what I'm trying to explain to those I come in contact with. 

The members have been great in lessons recently and very supportive in our efforts. Also providing food is always awesome and we definitely saw this this past holiday week.

Transfer information arrived as well and a lot of things are changing once again even though our mission president said people would be staying in areas for a while. I am staying down here in Georgia but also sad to see my comp go. Looking forward to what's ahead as always and praying to be guided by the Spirit. Never a dull moment out here and always pushing. Get out there this holiday season and serve people, you'll see miracles. 

Back pain and back to back

 Quick update down here in Georgia. I tweaked by back pretty bad and got some x-rays but things should be good, just never realized the importance of stretching until now. Other than being hunched over all day the lessons have been going well and we have someone on date for baptism. It has been difficult to reach this point with that many people we are teaching so we are excited and looking to follow through. Brother Cruz a member in the ward assisted us in a lesson and interestingly expressed how the unification of this church is a huge part of his testimony. 

This church is connected throughout the whole world. We are all on the same gospel idea for a week and can share ideas and we have a prophet who leads and guides us as one, that's amazing! We had a couple great devotionals over zoom one on stress management and the other on social media. And with the push from President Nelson on Facebook the work is really just evolving. 

One last lesson to highlight from the week would be with Austin. We originally met his girlfriend while out on the streets and she asked if we were giving out free books. Austin teaches parkour and my comp does that stuff so we went to meet him and build that foundation. We have gotten to know him some more and finally had a great sit down talk with him. We exchanged life stories and man he has had the story. He was intelligible and very respectful as he listened to us and asked meaningful questions. We were able to answer everything, explain concepts, and extend an invitation to church which he accepted. What I learned was the importance to share my story with sincerity. He told me that he admired that and that others would like to hear things like that from us missionaries. 

The gospel brings clarity into our minds and love into our hearts, that's what I focused on with him as it has been a circulating idea throughout this past week. I am grateful for it and am trying to give others the opportunity to accept it for themselves. Cuídense mucho mi gente, chao!

Amazing Week

 Amazing week here in Dalton with a new perspective on lessons. Our weekly devotional by Brother Donaldson taught us how to more clearly understand the intentions of the lessons we teach as well as focus on the importance of prayer. He went through a quick roleplay using questions pertaining to prayer and likening the scriptures in our lives. The first 8 chapters in the Book of Mormon apply to the reader today and they go as follows:

Chapter 1- You get a book, 2/3- learn how to use it and try, 4- do it God's way, 5- realize the worth, 6- council, 7- opposition from family, 8- how to follow God. Sorry if that was messy and sorry if it didn't make sense. I invite you to go study those chapters again and gain your own revelation because I know the Book of Mormon is the perfect book of conversion. God will answer your questions but He won't answer your doubts. 

Throughout the week we were able to apply this new approach to prayer with our investigators and it worked miracles. To highlight a couple experiences, with Gonzalo and Nelly we had a spiritual moment of silence after Gonzalo offered a specific prayer in the middle of the lesson. His answer was positive and he is on the covenant path acting with faith. Additionally we reestablished contact with a man named Jose who also felt the spirit strongly and loved his experience at the Church the following Sunday. Another lesson with a family of five went great as we were able to express our true desires to serve and the importance of the message to us. That is all we have to do as missionaries is care and show those you teach that you care. 

The rest of the week was filled with all sorts of activities including parkour, dogs covering us in poo, and almost running over a puppy. Every day is pretty exciting and I do my best to record it to remember later. Hope all is well for others and this coming week is full of excitement, up to you to make it that way.

Georgia Area

 

Not Enough Time

 A week full of work and time just flies by. Looking back on the week it feels as though those lessons were forever ago but somehow it's Monday. Teaching more and more these days and fulfilling the missionary purpose to the best of my ability. The variety of people I meet blow me away as we speak to Latinos in either Spanish or English, the classic southerner, or anything in-between. I've been focusing on things I can improve about myself and have found missionary work to be the best crafting table. 

Anyways, a few things that happened this week include Zone Conference where it was great to see old friends and discuss things of the spirit. I learned that if I have not been rebuked by the spirit lately than I need to change my prayers. When reproved by the spirit and when accepted, the doors can open to change and improvement. Don't take advantage of the spirit that you get to feel all day every day, and use it to help others receive their own blessings. 

In a few lessons this week we decided to review and share the "Ask of God" video which has to be one of my favorites, check it out. I have seen how just after gaining that better understanding of the first vision their testimonies in Joseph Smith sprout and now we just got to keep watering them. Commitments with those we teach have been difficult still and we're doing all we can, but salvation can't come too easily. We had the opportunity to attend a wedding of a member and someone we're teaching which was beautiful and a great time, the tres leches cake was pretty good too. One lesson yesterday that stands out was with Fabian and Wilberto along with Hermano Cruz helping us out. We discussed the Gospel of Jesus Christ and baptism taught in chapter 11 of 3 Nephi. Hermano Cruz was a tremendous help bearing his testimony and backing up missionary work as a whole. He's a convert himself and relates perfectly with the Latin community. All-in-all the spirit was strong and applied well into the hearts of those we taught. Something I learned from a talk by Hermano Sierra in church yesterday is that the gospel of Jesus Christ isn't in the technical things, it's in our everyday lives and it's meant for everyone. Fear and faith don't go together. We can choose our reactions to the consequences, have a celestial focus. Take those ideas however the spirit lets you, cuídense.

Questions of the Soul - All of Us

 Another eventful week in the field, I'll try my best to sum it up. We've been working hard with our investigators and leaving commitment after commitment and seen some success with it so far. One thing we starting focusing on this week was using the 'questions of the soul' section out of Preach My Gospel so that we could center our efforts on the Book of Mormon. Instead of simply asking people if they have any questions at the end of a lesson we give them the this list to choose from and leave them with that specific reading assignment to find their answer before we see them again. It has been amazing to see people come closer to this other testament of Jesus Christ and I recommend checking the questions out for yourself. 

To highlight a few lessons in particular, we taught a father and son about the Restoration and we could completely feel the warmth of the spirit wrapping around this small family and the desire this father had for his children to know of Christ. Another lesson with Nelly and Gonzalo went well and we were able to set a baptismal date for Gonzalo who has been reading and gaining his own testimony. As we spoke to them yesterday about church he expressed how he doesn't want this to separate him from his wife and children being the only one but we reinforced the idea that it would only strengthen them. The Torres family have been an amazing help and truly show the importance of member missionary work, go out with the missionaries! One lesson on Sunday went very well as we were able to speak with a guy who's been attending church for weeks with his girlfriend and we had no idea he wasn't a member. We were able to clear up some misconceptions and explain things to their 7 year old preparing for baptism too. They are planning to get married by the bishop on Saturday and we are excited to help. 

The work progresses and we keep on teaching down here in Georgia. These people are amazing and love Christ, just need to keep commitments sometimes but they love God so it's possible. As for my studies I have been going through Captain Moroni and his dealings with the people which is always inspiring. No better place to be than in the mission field right now, take care everyone!

La Obra de los 'Spanams'

 Another week down and it's been a full one. We've gone way over our miles allotment but there's just so much work to do we have to drive everywhere. Since we're Spanish speaking Elders we travel the whole zone to speak to anyone truly interested to learn more and make the trip down here to Dalton to attend the Spanish ward. I still can't believe how blessed I am to be able to speak Spanish again and I pray that my tongue will loosened again so I can do my best. 

Teaching has been great and we visit so many people but not many keep commitments and progress like they should be. Christlike attribute focus has been on knowledge and we have been applying that throughout the week helping others to see where we come from and establish that credibility so that they are more inclined to listen. 

Lessons ranged from talking about science and evolution to teaching while doing parkour. My comp loves parkour and the boyfriend of a lady we are working with is an trainer so I learned some moves and got some great contacts. The work spread to everyone some way or another. We had an awesome service project in Saturday helping an elderly lady Maria on her farm. We relocated her chicken coup and then got to enjoy some fresh chicken soup, mole and rice. 

All in all I'm having a great time and I'm extremely tired at the end of the day but that's the point, catch y'all on the flippity-flip.

Spanish Area - Changes

 It's a whole new playing field down here in Georgia! Transfers went great on Wednesday and that day feels like forever ago because we have been working hard in mini-Mexico. It truly is a blessing to be assigned to this area to have this opportunity to speak Spanish because that's all we do all day. Limitations are much easier down here and we are outside ALL the time. 

In comparison to what I was doing before and the teaching pool I had, there is work to be done here! There has not been a dull moment and I'm tired as heck but it's all good and I'm growing more and more. Some lessons to highlight would be with Nelly and Gonzalo's family where we played Jenga to represent Christ's church and how you need all the pieces for it to be complete. There young daughter Sasha was blown away and we actually saw it click in her head. The parents have many questions and we are working with the helpful members to help them towards baptism soon. 

Another would be sharing the Plan of Salvation with a family on there porch and seeing the true interest the father had in following Christ and leading his family to eternal life. Everything is going well with the packed scheduled, delicioso pupuseria foodtrucks, and early mornings. I'm trying best through Christ and that's why I'm all good, imagine what it'd be like without Him in your life, yikes. Cuidanse mucho everyone

Transfer to Georgia - Se Hablamos Espanol

 Transfers were pushed up a week due to President having meetings with general authorities and such so I'm leaving Bristol and going to the only Spanish speaking ward in the mission! It is sad to leave all those I have come to know so well here in the birthplace of country music and I wish I could stay but I am excited to serve where I'm assigned now. The past week has been great and it started off with us receiving furniture for the apartment. We quickly assembled a couple tables and couches and then headed over to Kingsport for interviews with President Graham. It was great to see other missionaries as always and speak with our knowledgeable president. 

Our weekly ward correlation meeting went great as we discussed the needs of those we're teaching, discovered new ways to find, and organized an actual meal calendar. The ward is starting to come alive as we are heading into phase 2 of missionary work and can see them in there homes. A few people we've been teaching have had some covid scares so we're keeping with phone calls for now but a huge highlight from the week was meeting Diane. She is a Jewish friend of some members who loves to cook and has lots of service to do at her house, so missionaries written all over. We spent all morning and afternoon weeding her jungle of a garden in the pouring rain and it was awesome. She hooked us up with some fresh socks and dry t-shirts before taking us out for some authentic barbecue. We talked religion the whole time and she is so fascinating, pretty much already a member and we'll see her again tomorrow. 

Yesterday at church a member gave an amazing talk about praying to God always rather than just when we need Him. We should always be reaching out in adoration and love to our Heavenly Father and those around us. Not just on Sunday but always. Hope all is well, and see y'all in Georgia hablando español pues, aahhh!

Quatro

 Hey, how y'all doing? This past week has been eventful and exciting in many ways. A group of 11 new missionaries have been crammed into the mission and we are now a household of four Elders. First time living with another companionship and it's great so far. We are still without any form of furniture but we're fine, one Elder was serving in Ghana last year so he and I feel at home with the living conditions. 

Teaching the investigators is still going strong and a huge help this past week has been General Conference! How amazing it was to receive guidance and support through the words of the living prophet and apostles on the earth today. I am excited to review their talks over the next few weeks and study them in detail, I invite y'all to do the same. One adventure I'll share from this week is as we were out locating inactive members who the bishop assigned us to find and fellowship. We knocked softly on a door of a house as to not knock over the whole house just from the force. This man lived far out of town, up a steep overgrown dirt road, in a trailer on a couple stilts. Despite the conditions this is where the address directed and more importantly the Spirit guided us. We were able to talk a little and although he didn't seem interested in the slightest, he was surprised by the visit and agreed to give us his new phone number not previously known on our record book. 

I hope from this one highlight of my week that you can apply it to what you're doing in your life. Surprise someone by always following the Spirit and never misdirecting His hand. Be safe, cuidanse mucho!

Be Not Idle

 The quick week started off with Zone Conference on Tuesday. Always great to see friends, hear some inspiring words from Prez, and we got flu shots afterwards. Week was filled with lessons here and there and lots of work on Facebook as usual. Amazes me the kind of people I find and the conversations we have over just text. Never thought I would be doing it but I'm teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ over Messenger. 

During our breaks we've been spreading some time down on the creek catching crawdads, I made a pretty sweet trap and baited it with Spam but "the rains came down and the 'trap' on the sand washed away". 

Visited some members on the other side of our area and ventured down some sketchy roads, met some kind folks and looking to reactivate. Exciting part of the week was going to be seeing Vicky after her trial in court for custody of the grandkids. Went over and they slammed on us, but not giving up that easy. Through the countless visits and discussions with her and her family there's no way you can just "drop them". I've seen the spirit testify truth within her once and that's enough. Big part of our job is to discern the thoughts of other like Ammon does with King Lamoni. We all have a portion of the spirit with us so use it. 

Some other stuff I've been reading in Alma stick out to me, 24:18- "..that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands." As a testimony to God the Anti-Nephi-Lehies bury there weapons and die so the others may come to the truth. Now that's pretty intense but just goes to show how important this gospel should be to you. This week I'm not going to 'idle' and labor 'abundantly' with my hands, which includes my thumbs for messaging.

Another Week Flew By

 Somehow it's Monday again but there's tons that happened last week. We had quite a few zoom calls as a zone and one as a whole mission this past week, and we discussed a lot about the work we get to be doing now, the character of Christ, and setting goals. 

After visiting with the Filetti family on Monday and checking Brother Filetti's extremely rare comic books, we had our regular zone call to set this transfers baptismal goal, ect. One ZL brought up an interesting point he learned from his mission president in Mexico about 'smart' goals and numbers we can attain. Obviously we want to set high goals and according to our faith we will reach it but then you should subtract ~40% due to the outlying factors you cannot control. As hard as that was to hear to some missionaries, we must be realistic and understand that we are still human and crazy things happen outside of our control, and that's okay. And who's stopping us from crushing whatever goals we set anyways, go wreck them. 

On Tuesday a chiropractor member lady cracked us up after dinner and it was relieving. Not having any furniture in our apartment for the past couple weeks hasn't been to comfortable but no complaining compared to Peru, miss that place. We finished and posted our video about prayer on the "Representatives of Jesus Christ in Kingsport" Facebook page so go check it out, like it, leave a comment, ya saben. Started the Stop Smoking Program with an investigator on Wednesday, gave her some grapefruit juice, cinnamon toothpaste, vitamin C, it's getting real. Been meeting with her every day to keep contact and gave her number to a member lady to call her too. 

Still have fun any way we can down here and loving the work as always, Chau.

Beginnings Again

 Getting used to the changes over here in Bristol. I've got the area down and know everybody, just adjusting to the new apartment, new companion, and new district. It's something that I need practice with so here we go. 

We met with some great members earlier in the week and had a nice time talking with them and chowing on southern food. The member's daughter isn't a member and we've gotten to know here before the coming transfer. She even gave the two Elders that were leaving a farewell gift so that was nice, hope to keep teaching her. Transfers were fun and it was great to see friends. Of the few I got to know since being reassigned here, most of them went home this past week. 41 new missionaries came in and 30 more are coming by next transfer so we're grinding the work. 

A lot of us are Spanish speaking so it has been great to practice with them already. Something that stuck out to me this week has to do with self-reliance. It has been very difficult to get some investigators to church and we haven't been able to get any members to help out. I brought this up in a ward council meeting and although we can keep trying to figure out a way of transport, the investigator has a car and she should be getting herself to church. I give myself a hard time trying to fix problems but often forget to have faith and trust in the Lord. Only then will miracles sprout and she will come to church. I can't give up though and neither can you. I don't deserve to give up because my brother Jesus Christ died for me so I'm doing what He calls me to do. 

I hope everyone is safe and those affected by recent disasters are doing well. Don't forget how much good you truly are doing, keep going.

Transfers = Change

 Eventful week here in Tennessee. Lessons have been going great and we were able to set a baptismal date with Vicky for the 19th. Then a few days later schedule her 50 year old nephew Steve for the same day. Hilarious dude and very in tune with the spirit. They have been doing well and her grand kids are a blast to play with, baby Jace is now walking like a pro. 

We had the opportunity to serve with our hands and couple times this week which I always love. Some members got a notice that they had to be out by the next morning so we hauled and got everything out and on trailers the night before. Couple days later we helped some other members move some giant wardrobes down the tiniest stairway you could imagine. We had a discussion as Elders afterwards about the living conditions of some of the people down here and how fortunate we are to help them. 

Interviews with President on Thursday went well, he's a funny dude and crazy smart. Taught me to not make the person's problems mine, because I've kinda been doing that trying to help them since they need it so much. I am here to invite and guide, they must solve their own problems with the help of the Savior and I need to point that out and show them how. Some other exciting news is I am a home owner now! Well we moved into a brand new apartment and I designed the furnishings so pretty excited. It's truly amazing how organized the church is and how great it has been at adapting to change. 

Transfer calls came in and I am lucky enough to stay another transfer here in Bristol with an Elder who was reassigned here the same time as me. Saying goodbye to the rental car and hello to some sweaty lessons since we're a bike area now. 41 new missionaries are coming in, along with 11 in three weeks and 16 more by next transfer. The work is real and progressing at an astounding rate. Keep doing what you're doing and do it using the blessing God has personally given you. Bless up, chau!!

New address:

330 Godsey Rd, Bristol, TN 37620 

Apt. #159

El Plan

 Finally moved into the apartment but just for a week or something since we're working on getting another one before the huge transfer call next week. The past week started off with a great Zone call about the fruit of the work and baptism. On Tuesday while on the way to another lesson I decided to stop and check on Melissa since she texted me a little on Facebook earlier. We were let in by her and her husband Frank and taught all about the Plan of Salvation. She isn't doing well health wise and wanted to receive "everlasting life" and we eventually got to the importance of baptism, they accepted to be baptized. 

The most interesting thing I learned was the work of Satan during the days following their commitment. Almost immediately they began to have trials in their life and I couldn't believe it. I won't go into it too much but the worst of it was that I couldn't do anything to help and that drove me crazy. We have kept daily contact with them and continue to pray for their well being. We met some more lost members throughout the week and got to know them a little, exploring more of this countryside amazes me every day. Zone leaders came up again and decided to stay the night so they could attend our district council the next day. Don't think it was a great idea since we already just moved in to the not so big apartment and they see us a ton already but it was great to work them as always. 

Social Media Elders came up too to do some surveys or something so that made eight total. Of course we had our usual great lessons with Vicky and the grandkids as well as made some contact with Brad. Seeing progress and learning more and more on both sides so I'm happy to see that. I have come to see how much those we encounter truly depend on us this past week and the importance of my own testimony for myself but more importantly for them. The adversary is working especially hard to break down our testimonies because if we fall then a lot more destruction is sure to follow. Work to strengthen your beliefs more this week and put them to use through action such as serving and loving one another. Talk to y'all, in what feels like a blink of an eye, next week, chau!

Working the Ward

 Getting really comfortable here in Bristol with the people and new missionary norms. Great week that I'm going to try my best to recall. Our mission did a "park day" where no vehicles were allowed to be driven, oh no I guess we have to walk, it was awesome! Unfortunately some lessons fell through but we had the chance to do some solid work online. We attended a meeting with bishop and the elders quorum presidency to discuss literally every member in the ward, 3 hours later we were finished. 

Thankful our amazing bishop Youngblood provided some Chick fil-a which I can't even imagine how much that must've cost. We then made up a Google sheet with all the members we were tasked with visiting and reactivating and set out to work. Quite the adventure as we traveled every which back road tracking down members who haven't been to church in ages. Truly amazing to see this bishop dedicated to his ward and fellow shipping them, I may have busted up our  little Chevy Malibu on the trek but it was worth it. 

We have a week mapped out to see more of them as well as appointments to get to know them better. Thinking we should have done this awhile ago as I might be transferred out in a couple weeks but it's all good. Had some amazing lessons with some investigators, really trying to nail down some points and seeing some progress. We have been trying to remember that we might not see the "fruit" of baptism but we watered the seed along the way, just grateful to be a part of he process. High expectations must be accompanied by love for others as well as yourself. 

Chau fam squad

Espanol Speaking

 This past week has been enjoyable, especially with all the rain. Started off getting to meet Jubal, the first Spanish speaking person I've really met here in Tennessee. I have been practicing my Spanish the best I can and was so excited to finally put it to use. It has been difficult to understand why God has placed me here with little opportunity to use the Spanish language but answers come as promised and I was finally revealed the blessing. After we sat down and talked for a little bit I introduced our purpose and began walking through the restoration lesson only to find out afterwards that he is a member and has been his whole life. His aunt originally reached out to us about him talking about going to church and it turns out he just wants to go back to church since he loved to the states and does not speak English very well. In the end I was honored to get to meet him and we are now working on which of his friends we can contact and about ward members who could help him at church. 

During the week we worked on creating an ad for Facebook which was really fun. Thursday we had an amazing lesson with Vicky and Aiden under a tiny umbrella in the pouring rain. As far as concerns for her we are working to explain baptism by proper authority. She is doing well but it has been difficult helping her get to church. We also had the chance to meet with Brianna who is on date for baptism and very excited. We had the opportunity to travel to a baptismal service far up in Virginia for a young man who is Filipino, and my comp served there and was able to talk to his family. So both of us had the chance to use our mission languages and it was great. These next few days we going on a fast from cars to save miles since we're driving too much so walking it is. We are lucky to stay at the other elder's apartment so we aren't stuck in the motel miles from any residential house. 

Hope life is cooking for everyone else, and as for a spiritual thought, my comp and I put trust in the Lord to guide us as we utilized our language so I invite you to take life more simply and trust in Him.

Keep Hoping

 Just want to highlight a few things from this past week that stand out to me. The work has been going well and we are leading a few investigators towards baptism. As a zone we are focusing on Alma 32 and the idea of a seed of faith. We have taken the word seed as an acronym and this past week the S in seed stood for a swelling within our souls. We had the opportunity to share this zone goal with Lisa, a lady we have been teaching and the spirit was very strong. 

Along with an uplifting zone conference on Friday regarding the same idea, we have been able to focus our lessons with these same ideas and see great miracles come from them. It is such a joy to see those we are contacting in person and get to know them more and more every week. I was happy to be able to post everyday about something I am grateful for on Facebook and it has allowed me to have a greater attitude throughout the week. I hope those who needed to see my posts saw them and I trust God took a part in that as Facebook is a huge part in His work today. 

The greatest blessing from this week came as we were referred to person who only speaks Spanish. A lady on Facebook told me about her son who is interested but can't speak English and would like things explained in Spanish. Boom guys, there you go, I was called here for a reason and this is the start of it. No matter how long of a trial it may be you've gotta keep pushing and you'll get results as a promise from God. 

Excited to see what happens and you use my language capabilities. I am thankful for the support and the guidance I receive and pray for the same on everyone else. 

Keep working, nos vemos!

La Obra y Elder Moe

An amazing week here in Bristol with a big turnaround in attitude. Knowing and understanding that I am here to help families be happy is awesome and rewarding in ways I'll never forget. 

The littlest of things go a long way for me as I get to talk with Aiden, a 9 year old genius for an hour. This lesson with him and his grandma Vicky was great. We were on exchanges with the Zone leaders and I was with Elder Moe, a friend from back home, so it was great to talk with him and throw the football around. He was reassigned from Mexico and now we're here in a trailer park both struggling to teach in English. It went great though as little Aiden was quoting scriptures like John 3:16 to us. At 9 years old I think the only thing I had memorized was the McDonald's menu, the kid's a stud! Still not an easy task as they weren't able to make it to church yesterday, but we'll keep at it. On the other side of the exchange we got a lady on date for baptism, so truly an empowering day. 

That same day we met a dude I've been talking to on Facebook. He works at Taco Bell so I suggested we meet there before he heads in for work, and to grab some tacos of course. Tyler is a super nice guy and accepted a Book of Mormon for us so I'm looking forward to get back to him. 

Another thing we did this week was help some elderly members move furniture which is a missionary's specialty. My back is a little sore but I'm young so no complaining. They took us out to eat in person which is the first time some members have done that here besides dropping off gift cards so that was nice. In our motel the mold in the shower is getting everywhere so we talked to the front desk and we think we'll just move to the next room over or something. 

District council went well and we discussed our progress and goals, mine being to love the people around me more. A better attitude comes when we shoot for kindness and accept others as they are. For Pday I think we're going to hit up the giant Bass Pro Shop store across the street, really getting into the whole southern vibe. Love your neighbor a little extra this week, cuidense!!

Bristol Bustling

Hey, here's some more in Bristol, hope you all are finding joy throughout every day. Super quick week with a lot of unanswered phone calls and people who are just too busy I guess. Not the most successful week as far as getting through to teaching but I still am so grateful to be a missionary at this time.

It has amazed me to see those who are tucked away into there houses during these times and what it takes to bring them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even though it is a little weird right now the truth is still important and probably even more important than ever before. Perseverance and a right attitude have been vital to opening my eyes to the miracles throughout this past week.

I have become quite the chef and made meals for the Elders a couple times as we made a pact not to eat out at all. This plan did not include Baja Blast freezes which I of course still got every single day. The greatest blessing from the week was definitely receiving news that Veronica from my days in Peru got baptized! She was my first lesson in the field and an investigator I will never forget. I have referenced her a ton of times before and would say seeing her every Thursday at 7 shaped the way I teach as a missionary today. Bold and with a purpose at all times, laying down the truth and not wasting the Lord's time with chit-chat in between. I was so happy to hear this news as it I met her back in November and it is now the end of July. Caused me to realize how fast time has gone by and remember that Peru wasn't just a big dream. I am excited to see her again one day and congratulate her on the most important decision in her life.

Other than that it is the end of the transfer and us four Elders here in Bristol are staying. So no change up just yet, still rocking it in the motel, any ideas for fun just shoot them over. Found out that the Tennessee Knoxville Mission is number one for Facebook finding so if you were wondering what I'm doing everyday there you go. Hope everyone is trying harder this week, no limit until you're actually there.

Chao fam

La Obra

Great week full of work! Had exchanges with the zone leaders on Tuesday and it was great to really meet them and have a productive day. Met a guy who played baseball for Southern Virginia University which is pretty much BYU-I in the east so he had lots to talk about regarding his teammates who were members and all. We met with Lisa again and she pulled in a little after us with a whole truckload of groceries. On all the bags was printed the Church's logo and she talked to us about the support she has been given by the church. It was really amazing to see the hand of the Lord directly in people's lives such as the Church's organization to feed those in need. We helped her to carry in all the food and supplies and then taught a quick lesson about miracles in our lives and loving those around us. She came to church yesterday with a handload of grandchildren and they were a blast to play with, planning on dropping of some Book of Mormon cartoons and a Songbook CD for them to use too. We are now teaching a lady named Elyse and she has been one of the coolest people we've met so far. She is very understanding and open to listen. Only difficult thing is she does not like people telling her what to do and how to live her life so we are doing our best to explain everything. Her mom is a member and took the other Elders out to eat while we were teaching but Elyse ordered pizza the next time we saw her and we were chilling. She has a ton of questions and it has really pushed me to be prepared and rely on the Spirit to tell me what to say, it legit works. Had exchanges on Thursday and Elder Wilson and I killed it with a couple of his investigators. I opened a couple birthday gifts and they were awesome! So grateful for the support I have and those people that I have in my life. On Friday we had District Council, ate some lunch, and then President came for interviews. He really just wanted to get to know each of us better and I can't imagine how he's been doing over the past few days meeting everyone and settling in as the new president. In the interview he asked me what he should be doing as a mission president since I've been out longer than him. Definitely took me by surprise and showed his level of humility to listen to us and learn from us. Really respectable, and put-together man all around. Saturday we had a ton of lessons and one that sticks out was with Nicky. She is very kind and loved to hear from us so we shared the message of the Restoration but unlike the many times I've taught this before, it really hit us. Even just standing with her on her porch the Spirit was so strong and we were all bawling by the end of it. Sorry this is so long but lastly, on Sunday, I was able to meet my great aunt Betty! She lives just up the road in the next town and we had a wonderful conversation on her porch just catching up on things. She is not a member but rather a devout Baptist so I've got some work to do. And I'm thankful for it!

Why do I believe?

Another crazy fast week, wish I was more into journal writing to remember what happened each day. Met the President and his wife at zone conference and they are amazing; just imagine a young Bednar and that's him. He spoke with power and consistency, very inspiring and a funny guy too.

He brought up a few questions like: Why do I believe? What do I hope for? Why did I seek to become a missionary? What is it all about? President Graham allowed me to gain perspective and I invite you all to ask yourselves these questions as I believe they apply to everyone.

Teaching went pretty good this week with great opportunities to serve as well. Helped a lady move and that's always fun, people think it's so crazy that we just do things efficiently and for free. I love doing it so much, maybe because it's the only time we get out. Been trying to have a better attitude with Facebook and it really shows. I even talked to this guy for a while and he wants to come to church next week.

I hope everyone else has been able to have the best Sabbath they can whether they can go or not, I am so thankful to be going here in Tennessee. Met another couple on Saturday that are really nice, they are raising rabbits, chickens, and growing a garden. Really excited to meet them again as well as all the others we are teaching. Work is going as fast as it can out here. Remember we're all disciples of Christ, so be a brighter light to those around you this week.

Pouring Out the Spirit and the Rain

The weeks are really flying by now, can barely remember what even happened last week. We had a couple baptisms in the district this past weekend and They were amazing. I got to play the piano for them and the services were really special. The most immense joy comes from seeing those we are teaching and love enter this sacred covenant with God.

One of the baptisms was a young woman who is now the first member in her family and a great example to her siblings and hopefully her parents. The bravery she had was outstanding and a blessing to witness. Earlier that week we helped her and her family move because they were being evicted and that was quite the experience. We loaded all the big stuff from their trailer-home like beds and furniture into a member's truck and headed off only to be hit by a huge thunderstorm. They don't have a car and have limited communication so we waited in a Walgreens parking lot in the pouring rain. Everything was getting soaked so we ran inside and bought some trash bags to make a tarp, it was awesome.

They ended up never making it and didn't get the new house so we had to deal with the truckload of stuff but it all worked out eventually. Had a few dinner appointments with the ward members that went great. It seems like everyone lives on their own hill with lots of land and green everywhere. I'm moving here one day.

The people are great including a new guy we met on Friday named Bradley. We met his wife and five kids last week and were back to see her but she was busy with the baby so we talked with her husband. He is a hardworking man and loving father. I am even more excited to see the whole fam this coming week again. Our 4th of July wasn't too crazy, had dinner at the Bishops but had to be in by 8. He was hosting a party with lots of non-member neighbors and it would have been an amazing opportunity but safety is important.

Hope everyone's holiday was a blast and nothing blew up the way it wasn't supposed to. Keep striving to improve and remember the many blessings you have in your life.
 Chao!

Out and About

The work is picking up slowly but surely and I am looking forward to another week of bringing the fullness of the gospel to the people of Bristol. On Tuesday we had the task of creating a post for the zone Facebook page so that was pretty interesting. If you would like to check it out go hit up the Representatives of Jesus Christ in Kingsport page. Sorry if it's a little confusing, wasn't my idea.

Wednesday I went on exchanges with the district leader and the highlight of that was probably when we visited Sue. She lived quite a ways away in a valley high up in some mountains. The drive was beautiful and I'm considering living here. Sue is an amazing lady with unbelievable faith, her daughter isn't in the best situation and Sue is building a trailer house for her to live in. We explained the plan of salvation and she was blown away. She felt the spirit strongly and we can't wait to get back to her.

Taught another lady named Vicky and her super cool grandson Aiden all about prayer and they were all for it planning on praying as a family ever night. Aiden thanked us for "coming to by to talk about Jesus"(in an extremely southern accent). While we were waiting for our appointment with Vicky we were in a trailer park and lots of people were out so we may have done some illegal tracting, sorry.

One lady in particular loved our message and took a copy of the Book of Mormon. She has 5 kids all under the age of six while in school so we focused on the peace and guidance of the gospel and I can't wait to talk more with her. Along with her we were able to schedule a lot more lessons for this week.

We held a farewell for our mission President on Thursday and I was able to meet a ton of guys from the surrounding areas. President Pickett told a bunch of great stories but also taught about the love of God. "His love never ceases," it is always there no matter what we are going through, if you can't feel that then turn to Christ.

Going to church yesterday was amazing again and we even have a couple dinner appointments set up with the member this week. Still surviving in motel room and learning more and more. My thumbs are kinda sore from being on the phone all day, not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Cuidanse mucho ok!!

Great week in Tennessee/Virginia!

Great week in Tennessee/Virginia! I'm learning so much about being a missionary in the states and I'm becoming accustomed to the daily routines. Transfers were this past week and we have a new district leader, he is the most genuine person I've met and cares so much about the work. I am now the oldest Elder which is crazy but we're all new to the area figuring it out together. We had an amazing district council and finally met everyone in person rather than through the daily video call devotionals we do. We did some amazing role plays focused on the divine mission of Jesus Christ and another sister and I were able to practice in Spanish a little too. I saw fireflies for the first time which was amazing! I caught a couple and released them into our motel room for some company.
As for food, we've been blessed with a ton of gift cards from the relief society president and treated ourselves to Olive Garden one night. The people are insanely nice and I still have not met someone even sorta mean.
Also, yesterday we went to church! It was so amazing to meet everyone in person and talk to them. The building held three meetings, one for mask-only, and the others for the two wards. We stayed all three and helped do sacrament and clean between services. It is so warming to see the church run with care and pure dedication. The testimony meetings were amazing and I was able to introduce myself and my desires to help the ward in any way.
We finally got the area book situated and we set up a ton of lessons for this coming week. Pretty much everyone was open to us and I couldn't believe it, finally looking in the right place. Personal study has been going great and having access to videos online is a huge blessings in furthering my studies and understanding new ways to explain to people the joy of the gospel.
I listened to an audio clip titled "Conversion of a Catholic Priest" by Bill Carpenter and it's amazing so check that out if you can. Hope all is well for everyone else and you're taking things on one by one. Going into the week strong but keeping my knees high because there's always going to be some hurdles to get past, looking forward to it.
Elder Blazzard

Area 3 - Bristol TN

First Week in Tennessee Knoxville Mission

I'm back on board as a missionary again and am stationed out in good ol' Tennessee. Started off a little rocky as another elder and I missed our connecting flight and stayed the night in Detroit. We landed a little late and thought we had time to grab some Popeye's but got a call from an upset sister in our travel group telling us that they were boarding. So I sprinted through the whole airport with my box of delicious chicken only to find a shut gate with the plane sitting right outside. We got a nice stay in a hotel but little did I know this was foreshadowing. After making it to Knoxville with another load of reassigned missionaries the next day we met the mission President and his wife and had some tacos along with a great orientation. And then yet another night in a hotel before getting all situated on Wednesday. We filled out a bunch of papers and got some packets before being assigned a companion and heading out in our own cars! I am in Bristol TN/VA and am staying in a motel room which is getting pretty rough so that's what I get for enjoying those previous hotel stays a little too much.

We have only been finding people through Facebook and I am not the best at that stuff. So when we had a service opportunity helping a member move and I was super excited. The whole "southern hospitality" thing is no joke and everyone is crazy nice. Going from dirt dry Peru and torn up shoes to a car and a phone in lush Tennessee country has been crazy but an amazing experience. It has been insanely different and really hard to adjust to but know that I am putting forth all my efforts and trying to figure out Facebook as best I can. I am blessed to be serving relatively near to where my amazing grandmother Carol is from and where her older Sister Betty lives. I follow the man he was and hope to make them proud. All is well here no matter how slow it feels at times, using that "freight-train" attitude as best I can.

Bristol Tennessee/VA

I flew out of SLC the same time my parents flew to Lewiston to be with family.

SLC airport

Interim

Elder Blazzard returned home after a whirlwind trip by bus, car, charted plane, stay in LA, and plane to Salt Lake on April 7th, 2020. His flight arrived at 12:30 p.m. at the SLC airport which was organized for parents to receive their missionaries while keeping 'social distancing' rules. Not much fan fare for John. He was released that evening by President Buckner.

John spent the next two months at home. He signed up for a BYU Spring term religion course while waiting for his reassignment. He took a quick trip to California and then flew to Spokane WA where he helped with the Spirit Lake cabin dock with his brothers and extended family on the Ford side.

He received his reassignment notice on May 12th to the Tennessee Knoxville Mission which contains Abington VA where his Grandmother's older sister lives with her extended family.

He departed for Tennessee on the 8th of June, 2020. This is the same day his grandfather 'papa' Blazzard passed away.  He arrived in the mission on the 9th of June.

http://vassar-rawls.com/obituaries/bruce-h-blazzard/

Update

The status of Elder Blazzard is currently unknown in terms of when they will be leaving Peru. Elder Blazzard falls in the 180 or more realm, returning to the U.S. and going home for 14 days of quarantine and then being reassigned. That new call length is to be determined.

Oops he called from his pension's phone today and the outlook is for the 30th March to fly home.

Cuarentena

Yeah, so I have the virus and I am getting reassigned.  JK I'm not, all good down here for the most part. Past week was great and the area Buenos Aires is awesome. Ward seems way more alive and our mission leader is super cool. Had a baptism on Saturday and luckily because everything has been postponed or canceled so it's really hard to continue the work.

President said we are on a 15-day quarantine and have to stay in our rooms all day. It was a huge blow to us and is going to sad not being able to go out and teach. Didn't realize how much I loved teaching people until told that we cant do it anymore. Still waiting on more news, apparently the police are looking for foreigners to get them out of the country so trying to keep my head low.

Today we were only allowed to get food at the store and swat guys were at the door only letting a few people in at once, I was really prepared to get tackled. By not leaving the room I think I will have a little more time to study my scriptures so looking forward to that and a lot of personal thinking time.

My comp Elder Yoshida is awesome and a Mexican so he knows both languages super well. He shared this quote he found from an old missionary where his goal was to wake up everyday and make Satan think, "Oh crap,(Elder Blazzard) is awake!" We each have so much power than he does and our goal should be to so powerful in the gospel that he trembles beneath us.

Hope all is well and everyone is trying at least a little bit to be clean or something.

Transfer to the North

Elder Blazzard was transferred north to the city of Sullana which is a new zone about 35 minutes from Piura, the mission center.  A little more modern in the area that he serves versus last. Same great people.

Another amazing week with the usual ups and downs. Last week with Elder Wittwer was great and we worked hard until the end, he has taught me so much and we had some great laughs. I have now been transferred to Sullana in the Buenos Aires area.

I am with Elder Yoshida and he is awesome!! He is from El Paso so he knows english and spanish like a pro. Our room is pretty tiny and I'm on a top bunk, yeah just imagine me climbing up on an unsturdy bunk. All good though, super excited to learn this area and meet the people. Sad to leave my old area but now the new guys will do great.

This guy Alejandro told us about a dream he had and how he began to fall off the path of God but was saved through the Book of Mormon, his daughter Lesley was pretty emotional and we felt the spirit a ton. Had the opportunity to do a home blessing as well for this family who really needed it, felt the spirit a ton again and even more after they asked me to give their newborn baby a blessing because she was sick. An experience I will never forget. I understand the power of the priesthood I have and know it to be true and life-changing.

During an intercambio with Elder Flitton, we talked about Santiago 1:5, the scripture we share everyday to tell people about Joseph Smith. In the script it says if you don't know something ask God and he will give it to you. A part that a lot of people don't think about much is in between those two lines, que dice "quien da a todos abundantemente y sin reproche" which means when the blessings of God are more than enough and He won't judge or hold back anything IF we pray with faith and without doubt like it says in the next verse.

As we come closer to the 200 anniversary of the first vision I hope everyone can read that again and really think about it. I was sent off very lovingly by the ward and didn't realize how much they liked me, this morning the youth were waiting by the buses to see me off, they are the best, hope to visit again one day. Got to keep working, hope all of you are too, take care!!

--
Elder John C. Blazzard